You are on page 1of 20

NUTRITIOUS SNACKS

ON THE GO!

@GoGosqueeZ
IN THIS ISSUE
GAME PREVIEW 04
Match preview: What to watch for with Racing vs. Chicago Red Stars

TEAM ROSTERS 05
A look at team rosters for Racing Louisville and Chicago Red Stars

LYNN FAMILY STADIUM 08


Key details about Racing Louisville's home

MAP OF LYNN FAMILY STADIUM 09


Map including sections, vendors and more

RACING STAFF 10
Racing Louisville's coaches, technical staff and support staff

MEET THE TEAM 11-16


Player profiles for every Racing Louisville athlete

2022 SEASON SCHEDULE 18


Racing Louisville's 2022 NWSL schedule

COMMUNITY PARTNERS 19
A listing of Racing Louisville's business partners

03
MATCH PREVIEW: WHAT TO WATCH FOR WITH
RACING LOUISVILLE FC VS. CHICAGO RED STARS
By Racing Louisville FC Communications
Racing Louisville FC seeks revenge against the Wang Shuang debuts: The Women’s Cup was the
Chicago Red Stars at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Lynn first extended glimpse of Chinese star midfielder
Family Stadium after dropping its season opener in Wang Shuang in a Racing kit after the recent signing
the Windy City four months ago. first came on as a substitute in the Aug. 12 league
match in Houston. She started both TWC matches,
The rematch will play out on a fun stage: Saturday scoring Racing’s second goal in the semifinal win
is Racing’s “Fill the Fam” game, with the club aiming against AC Milan.
to set a new attendance record (surpassing 8,488)
and planning pregame festivities and postgame KD for three: Rookie forward Kirsten Davis scored in
fireworks. The Women’s Cup final against OL Reign, becoming
the only player for Racing to register goals in each
Racing Louisville (2-6-8, 14 points) enters the game of the Challenge Cup, regular season and TWC. Her
in ninth place in the NWSL standings. Louisville drew 34th-minute goal put Racing ahead in the final, but
four of its last five regular-season matches, including OL Reign scored twice early in the second half to
a scoreless tie at Houston while playing down a claim the trophy.
player most of the way. Racing stepped outside of
NWSL play to compete last week in The Women’s Nadim’s scoring run: Returning from a knee injury
Cup, finishing as the runner-up to OL Reign. suffered last September, Nadia Nadim has scored
five goals in her past nine games, including a goal
Chicago (6-5-5, 23 points) sits in the coveted sixth against AC Milan in The Women’s Cup semifinal. After
spot in the standings, one point ahead of Angel rehabbing for eight months, the forward returned in
City FC on the playoff cut line. The Red Stars have May and made her first start of the season on July 29
recently struggled, losing four of their last five games, against the Portland Thorns.
including a 4-0 home loss on Saturday to the North
Carolina Courage. Lund on lock: The last regular-season matchup
against Houston marked Katie Lund’s fourth clean
This will mark the fourth meeting this year between sheet of the season. Lund has a league-leading 76
the squads. In addition to the regular-season opener, saves, 18 more than second-place Erin McLeod,
they tied twice in the preseason NWSL Challenge Orlando’s goalkeeper.
Cup.
First to 50: Racing’s last regular-season match
Saturday is also the final match before the league marked Lauren Milliet’s 50th NWSL appearance for
breaks for an international break. At least three the club, making her the first player to reach that
Racing players will represent their countries during milestone. Milliet has been with Louisville since the
the upcoming window: Alex Chidiac (Australia), Emily team started when selected in the 2020 expansion
Fox (United States) and Rebecca Holloway (Northern draft. Since joining the club, Milliet has featured in a
Ireland). variety of roles, including central midfielder, attacking
Story lines... winger and most recently outside back. During
Racing’s inaugural season, the Colorado native was
Playoff picture: Racing needs to get hot and needs the only player to feature in every Racing match.
some help from rivals if it wants to remain in the race
for one of the NWSL’s six playoff spots. Louisville
is nine points behind sixth-place Chicago with six
games left.

04
TEAM ROSTERS

1 KATIE LUND GK 1 ALYSSA NAEHER GK


2 LAUREN MILLIET MF 2 KAELIA WATT F
4 GEMMA BONNER D 3 ARIN WRIGHT D
6 JAELIN HOWELL MF 5 RACHEL HILL F
7 SAVANNAH DEMELO MF 6 CASEY KRUEGER D
8 FREJA OLOFSSON MF 7 YUKI NAGASATO F
10 NADIA NADIM F 8 ELLA STEVENS F
11 EMILY FOX D 9 MALLORY PUGH F
12 TAYLOR MALHAM D 10 VANESSA DIBERNADO MF
13 EMINA EKIC F 11 SARAH LUEBBERT F
14 JESS MCDONALD F 12 TIERNA DAVIDSON D
15 JULIA LESTER D 13 MORGAN GAUTRAT MF
17 NEALY MARTIN D 14 JILL AGUILERA MF
18 HILLARY BEALL GK 15 SARAH GRIFFITH F
20 CHEYNA MATTHEWS F 16 SARAH WOLDMOE MF
21 PARKER GOINS F 18 SAMANTHA FISHER MF
22 KIRSTEN DAVIS F 19 CHANNING FOSTER MF
24 JORDYN BLOOMER GK 20 ZOE MORSE D
25 REBECCA HOLLOWAY D 21 EMILY BOYD GK
27 ALEX CHIDIAC MF 22 BIANCA ST-GEORGES D
30 ZANETA WYNE D 23 TATUMN MILAZZO D
31 KELSEY DAUGHTERY GK 24 DANIELLE COLAPRICO MF
44 SATARA MURRAY D 25 AVA COOK F
77 WANG SHUANG F 26 MIKENNA MCMANUS D
27 CHELSIE DAWBER F
28 KAYLA SHARPLES D
31 AMANDA KOWALSKI D

HEAD COACH | KIM BJÖRKEGREN HEAD COACH | CHRIS PETRUCELLI

05
502.426.8820
www.blairwood.com
The $65 million stadium sits on a 10-acre parcel in the Butchertown
neighborhood east of downtown. Normal capacity is 15,304, and the venue
could range up to 25,000 for concerts. Unique to Lynn is a 72-foot Modelo
bar in the open end, believed to be the longest of its kind in Kentucky. The
jumbotron ranks second in size behind only Churchill Downs’ Big Board.
The natural surface is made up of
Tahoma 31 Bermuda overseeded
with rye, and it can remain green
year round thanks to a sub-air
system that removes excessive
moisture, but can also blow hot or
cold air to keep grass at an ideal
temperature. The lines measure 120
feet by 80, a major upgrade from the
105 by 75 pitch at LouCity’s former LouCity has ensured its late
home, Louisville Slugger Field. founder’s legacy lives on within
the club’s new home. Architect and
philanthropist Wayne Estopinal, who
brought pro soccer to town, is the
namesake behind the closed end of
Lynn Family Stadium, the standing
supporter zone. Estopinal, whose
firm also designed the University
of Louisville’s similarly named Lynn
Stadium, died in a November 2018
plane crash at age 63.
08
Proudly Made in
Bu tch ertow n
S i nce 20 06

G o u r m e t Fo o d P r o duc t s F r o m
the H ear t o f B o ur b o n C o u nt r y

Bourbonbarrelfoods.com

Butcher town Factory Store | Crescent Hill Marketplace


09
KIM BJÖRKEGREN
HEAD COACH / LINKÖPING, SWEDEN
Björkegren — a native of Sweden in his 15th year coaching — most recently
led Cypriot club Apollon Ladies FC to an undefeated season before being
named Racing's coach on Dec. 9, 2021. Apollon Ladies took 64 of a possible
66 points and advanced to the Champions League’s second round. The
Cyprus players association awarded Björkegren its Coach of the Year award.

Björkegren spent a year and a half coaching in the island country following
stints in his native Sweden and China. Björkegren spent 2018 coaching
Beijing BG Phoenix in the nation’s Super League. He oversaw transfers,
signing Spanish international Verónica Boquete, and made the semifinals of
two cup competitions before moving to Apollon Ladies FC in 2019.

mario sanchez
INTERIM ASST COACH / RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA
Sanchez, who stepped in as Racing’s interim head coach last September for
the final eight matches of the 2021 season, helped the club finish its inaugural
season on a high note. Over its final three games, Racing picked up results
from losing positions to finish with 22 points, the most of any NWSL expansion
team to date.

TECHNICAL STAFF
SERGIO GONZALEZ
Goalkeeper Coach
JULIE TWADDLE
Head of High Performance Coach

SUPPORT STAFF
CAITLYN FLORES-MILBY
Director of Operations
SARAH KANUCH
Head Equipment Manager
TARA CONDON
Head Athletic Trainer
MEGAN FERNANDEZ
Assistant Athletic Trainer
10
1 KATIE LUND
GOALKEEPER / PLANO, TX
Lund made her professional debut off the bench, becoming the hero of
Racing’s win over FC Bayern Munich in The Women’s Cup final. Lund made
four penalty kick stops and scored the trophy-winning kick in a dramatic
shootout. She went on to make her first NWSL start Oct. 6 against the North
Carolina Courage and took over the starting job between the posts toward the
end of the season, tallying 16 saves as her side went 1-1-2.

2 lauren milliet
MIDFIELDER / DURANGO, CO
In the club’s inaugural season, Milliet was the only player to see game action
in all 24 regular season matches. Earning 19 starts, the midfielder recorded
13 shots with three going on target. During her college career, Milliet started
in all 77 of her appearances, tallying 21 goals and 16 assists. The midfielder
was the 14th overall pick in the 2019 NWSL draft as just the second player to
be selected from Colorado College. She made two appearances as a rookie
before getting more involved in 2020, logging 278 minutes in four NWSL Fall
Series appearances.

4 gemma bonner
DEFENDER / LEEDS, ENGLAND
After joining the squad in June, Bonner started 13 matches. Despite missing
parts of the season with injuries, the veteran defender provided experience
to the back line and helped the squad earn two shutouts. A center back
by trade, Bonner has played the balance of her career in England. Career
highlights include winning the League Cup in 2010 with hometown club Leeds
United, a 2012 FA Cup Final appearance with Chelsea and two more league
crowns in 2013 and 2014 while captaining Liverpool. Bonner spent two years
at Manchester City, the second-place Women’s Super League finisher in each
of her seasons there. She has 11 caps with the England national team.

6 JAELIN HOWELL
MIDFIELDER / LONE TREE, CO
Howell made 90 career appearances in four years at Florida State, scoring
14 goals and tallying 14 assists. She won the 2018 and 2021 national
championships as well as back-to-back ACC Midfielder of the Year awards in
2020 and 2021. Howell finished her collegiate career by becoming only the
sixth women’s player to win the Hermann Trophy for national player of the
year in consecutive years, joining Mia Hamm (1992-93), Cindy Parlow (1997-98),
Christine Sinclair (2004-05), Morgan Brian (2013-14) and Catarina Macario
(2018-19).

11
7 SAVANNAH DEMELO
MIDFIELDER / BELLFLOWER, CA
During a collegiate career interrupted by an Achilles injury, DeMelo still
managed 75 appearances and helped USC to postseason appearances
each year she was in the pitch (2017-18, 2020-21). Along the way she received
All-Pac-12 honors four times and was recognized as an All-American in 2018.
The Bellflower, Calif., native DeMelo returned to pre-injury form as a senior in
2021, scoring four goals and numbering seven assists while starting all 20 of
the Trojans’ games. USC finished second in the Pac-12 with an 8-1-2 record in
league play.

8 freja olofsson
MIDFIELDER / ŐREBRO, SWEDEN
In her first year playing outside of Sweden, Olofsson was a consistent figure
in Racing’s midfield. She made 22 appearances, including 20 starts. Olofsson
recorded six shots, with two on target. The midfielder spent five years in the
Damallsvenskan with KIF Örebro. In 2019, Olofsson tore her ACL. She returned
in 2020 and made 21 appearances, 18 of which were starts, and tallied two
goals and an assist. She signed a two-year deal with Racing Louisville FC in
December of 2020 and extended her contract in 2022.

10 nadia nadim
FORWARD / HERAT, AFGHANISTAN
Nadim provided a spark to Racing’s attack as a massive midseason signing
from French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain. She scored three goals and
tallied one assist in eight matches, making her debut against Washington on
July 25. Nadim was recognized on the NWSL Team of the Month for August,
but she suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sept. 10. Known as one of
the world’s most prolific scorers and humanitarian athletes, Nadim came to
Louisville after two years at PSG, where during the 2021 campaign she totaled
10 goals and four assists in helping the club to its first Division 1 Féminine title.
Her career also incliudes stints with the Portland Thorns and Manchester City,
plus 38 goals in 99 appearances for the Danish national team.

11 emily fox
DEFENDER / ASHBURN, VA
Fox played more minutes than any other NWSL rookie (1,856 minutes), making
23 appearances and 22 starts. She earned the assist on the club’s first-
ever goal in its Challenge Cup opener against the Orlando Pride. Fox was
recognized on the NWSL Team of the Month for May en route to her Rookie of
the Year finalist nomination. The outside back led the league in interceptions
(115). Fox enjoyed a decorated college career at North Carolina, leading her
team to two ACC titles and College Cup appearances 2018 and 2019. As a
four-year starter for her school, Fox earned three-straight First Team All-ACC
honors and was named a Hermann Trophy semifinalist while overcoming two
ACL tears in three years. She has made 13 appearances for the U.S. Women's
National Team after regularly featuring for the youth national teams.
12 TAYLOR MALHAM
MIDFIELDER / BROKEN ARROW, OK
Malham started in all 107 games she played at Arkansas. The midfielder tallied
33 goals and 30 assists in her career, with 11 goals and six assists in her final
season. Malham was named All-SEC and all-region in 2019 and 2021. A native
of Broken Arrow, Okla., she grew up with Racing attacker Parker Goins, playing
together through college.

13 emina ekic
FORWARD / LOUISVI LLE, KY
Scoring a goal and tallying an assist in Racing’s historic first win on May 21,
2021, Ekic was named the NWSL’s Player of the Week. The forward made
15 appearances and three starts over the course of her rookie season. The
2020 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Ekic is the first Louisville player ever
taken in the NWSL Draft. She left U of L having tallied the fourth-most goals in
program history, with 29, and the second-most assists, with 19. The Louisville
native, who attended duPont Manual High, played a part in 10 of the Cardinals’
11 goals in 2020 with seven goals and three assists. Ekic also led U of L in
scoring in 2017 and 2019, with seven game-winners. She was named ACC
Co-Freshman of the Year.

14 jess mcdonald
FORWARD / PHOENIX, AZ
McDonald, one of the most prolific forwards in NWSL history, last played with the
North Carolina Courage, where she spent five years, before signing with Racing
ahead of the 2022 season. The 2019 Women's World Cup winner with the U.S.
Women's National Team is the NWSL's fourth all-time scorer and the league's
all-time leader in assists, with three NWSL Championships. McDonald's resume
includes an NWSL Championship MVP award in the 2018 final and inclusion in the
league's 2016 Best XI. McDonald has four goals in 19 national team appearances.
The Arizona native was a junior college All-American at Phoenix College and later
won a national championship at the University of North Carolina. She has one son,
Jeremiah, who moved to Louisville in tandem with McDonald.

15 julia lester
DEFENDER / TAMPA, FL
Over the course of two seasons playing for Björkegren at their former club,
Apollon Ladies of Cyprus, Lester worked on a defensive unit that conceded
only 14 goals in 31 Cypriot First Division matches. She made the league’s Best
XI in 2021 and made six UEFA Women’s Champions League starts for Apollon
Ladies, which also won its most recent domestic Super Cup and advanced to its
league cup final. The Florida native starred at the University of Florida, where she
earned All-SEC and All-Freshman honors over a four-year career that included 84
appearances.

13
17 nealy martin
DEFENDER / BIRMINGHAM, AL
Martin made 18 appearances, including 13 starts, at outside and center back
during Racing's inaugural season after making the team via open tryouts.
The University of Alabama graduate played in 76 games over her four years
with the Crimson Tide, capping her career with the SEC's prestigious Scholar
Athlete of the Year award as a senior.

18 hillary beall
GOALKEEPER / LAGUNA BEACH, CA
Beall tallied 285 saves over five years at the University of Michigan, posting 79.7%
career save percentage with 16 shutouts. During her fifth-year senior season last fall,
the Wolverines advanced to the NCAA tournament’s quarterfinals before falling to
eventual national champion Florida State in overtime. The two-time All-Big Ten selection
also claimed the 2021 All-United Women’s Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year honors after
helping SC Blue Heat to a UWS National Championship in the national pro-am league.
On the national team level, Beall was most recently a member of the United States
U-20 World Cup squad in 2018 in France. There, she played alongside eventual Racing
teammates Emily Fox, Savannah DeMelo and Jaelin Howell.

21 parker goins
FORWARD / BROKEN ARROW, OK
Goins spent five standout seasons with Arkansas, where she totaled 40
goals and 38 assists in 96 appearances. She was the 2021 SEC Midfielder of
the Year and an All-American selection after leading the Razorbacks to the
regular-season league title. The Oklahoma native who grew up with teammate
Taylor Malham ranked second in assists (14) and fourth in goals (11) in the SEC.

22 kirsten davis
FORWARD / ST. LOUIS, MO
Davis, the 13th pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, joined Racing a year later after
spending a fifth season at Texas Tech, where she was named Big 12 Offensive
Player of the Year. She registered 14 goals and six assists in 19 appearances in
2021, finishing her college career all over the Texas Tech record books. She
is second all-time in points (112), goals (45) and game-winners (16) for the Red
Raiders.
24 jordyn bloomer
GOALKEEPER / HARTLAND, WI
Bloomer, a second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, was a two-time
Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year at the University of Wisconsin. There, she
registered a 0.65 goals-against average and an 82.3% save percentage, with
27 career shutouts. The Wisconsin native twice earned All-American honors
in helping the Badgers to three Sweet 16s in the NCAA Tournament. Bloomer
was also a regular in the U.S. youth national team system.

25 rebecca holloway
DEFENDER / NAILSEA, ENGLAND
Holloway, a left-footed standout, joined Birmingham City in the summer of
2019, making more than 50 FA WSL appearances at outside back. She went
the full 90 minutes for all but two matches of the 2021-2022 season before
signing with Racing. Holloway honed her craft in the Bristol City Academy
before attending Cumberland University, an NAIA Program in Lebanon, Tenn.
With the Phoenix, Holloway was named back-to-back Mid-South Conference
Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018 before joining the Nashville Rhythm, a
WPSL club, in 2019. On the international level, Holloway represents Northern
Ireland, with seven caps for the Green and White Army. In 2023 World Cup
qualifying, she had logged three goals and three assists at the time of her
signing as Northern Ireland attempts to make the tournament for the first time.

27 alex chidiac
MIDFIELDER / SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Chidiac signed on a free transfer after winning the A-League’s Aussie Grand Final
with Melbourne. She was awarded the Victory Medal, given to the team’s player of
the season, and was also named the players’ player of the year — two prestigious
club awards. Chidiac is a longtime professional who has played in her native
Australia as well as Japan and Spain. She received her first senior national team
call up in 2015, at 16 years old, and scored her first goal for the Matildas in a 2018
friendly against Thailand. Chidiac was also a fixture in the Australian youth national
team setup, scoring 17 times in 22 appearances for the U-20 squad. Other stints
professionally came with Adelaide United and Melbourne City as well as an
18-month run with Spanish giant Atletico Madrid. She scored 3 goals in 22 Madrid
appearances and helped win Spain’s top-flight Primera Division title in 2019, plus
reached the UEFA Women’s Champions League round of 16.

30 zaneta wyne
DEFENDER / NEWPORT BEACH, CA
Wyne, 31, became a free agent after the 2021-2022 FA Women’s Super League
season. The versatile University of New Mexico product, who can play fullback
or midfielder, made 18 appearances last season with London-based West Ham
United, which finished sixth in England’s top-flight league. The American-French
dual citizen is well-traveled in her career, playing for top-tier clubs in Cyprus,
Finland, Iceland, Norway and Scotland in addition to her two stints in England. She
won the Cypriot league and experienced the UEFA Women’s Champions League
in a one-season stint with Apollon Ladies, coincidentally also the most-recent
stop for coach Kim Björkegren before he took the reins at Racing. Wyne played in
Cyprus four years ahead of Björkegren’s time.

15
31 kelsey daughtery
GOALKEEPER / KEENESAW, GA
The goalkeeper made 35 appearances for Djurgårdens in Sweden’s first
division Damallsvenskan while accumulating 54 saves and 12 clean sheets since
early 2021. Having previously played for Danish side Fortuna Hjørring in 2019,
Daugherty made four UEFA Champions League appearances, registering two
shutouts, before her club bowed out to eventual champion Olympique Lyon in the
Round of 16. This will mark her second stint for an NWSL team after spending the
2020 Fall Series with the Chicago Red Stars.

44 satara murray
DEFENDER / AUSTIN, TX
Satara Murray appeared in all 22 matches with Bristol City FC, plus three cup
games, as the club finished third in the league and reached the fourth round
of the FA Cup and the final of the FA Women’s League Cup, during during the
Robin’s 2021-2022 FA Women’s Championship campaign. She has prior NWSL
experience, too, spending 2019 with the Houston Dash, where she started all
nine matches in which she appeared. A 2020 stint with Norwegian club Kolbotn
followed. To start her professional career, Murray played four seasons for English
powerhouse Liverpool. She totaled 66 appearances for the Reds, spending three
alongside current Racing captain and center back Gemma Bonner.

77 wang shuag
FORWARD / WUHAN, HUBEI, CHINA
Wang moved to Racing from her hometown club, Wuhan Jianghan University FC,
where she won back-to-back Chinese Women’s Super League titles in 2020 and
2021. The left-footed attacker also previously played for French powerhouse Paris
Saint-Germain, scoring seven goals in 18 appearances across all competitions.
She was teammates there with Racing star Nadia Nadim. A dynamic dribbler,
passer and scorer, Wang has tallied 39 goals in 117 appearances for China’s
national team after making her debut at 17 years old. China won the 2022 Asian
Cup earlier this year as Wang tied for second in tournament scoring with five
goals, trailing only Australia’s Sam Kerr, who had seven. Wang started in each of
China’s four 2019 World Cup matches, helping her squad reach the Round of 16 in
France. She was also part of the 2015 World Cup team.
FILL THE FAM PARTNERS
2022 SCHEDULE
4.30 CHICAGO RED STARS 8:00 PM
5.8 OL REIGN 6:00 PM
5.14 HOUSTON DASH 8:00 PM
5.18 SAN DIEGO WAVE 7:30 PM
5.22 NJ/NY GOTHAM FC 5:00 PM
5.30 KANSAS CITY CURRENT 3:00 PM
6.4 NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE 8:00 PM
6.11 ANGEL CITY FC 8:00 PM
6.17 WASHINGTON SPIRIT 7:30 PM
7.2 ORLANDO PRIDE 7:00 PM
7.8 NJ/NY GOTHAM FC 8:00 PM
7.15 SAN DEIGO WAVE 10:00 PM
7.29 PORTLAND THORNS FC 8:00 PM
8.2 OL REIGN 8:00 PM
8.5 WASHINGTON SPIRIT 8:00 PM
8.12 HOUSTON DASH 8:30 PM
8.27 CHICAGO RED STARS 7:30 PM
9.10 NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE 7:00 PM
9.16 ORLANDO PRIDE 7:30 PM
9.21 PORTLAND THORNS FC 10:00 PM
9.25 ANGEL CITY FC 8:00 PM
10.1 KANSAS CITY CURRENT 7:30 PM
*TIMES LISTED IN ET
HOME AWAY
ave!

r S e a s o n s !
Bundle & S

Fo u
Summer is fun for everyone...including PESTS!
Don’t let your home have unwanted guests!
Score a goal with one of our hassle-free Four Seasons™
programs, and let OPC tell your PESTS to bug OFF all year long!

502.814.6943
opcpest.com

Quality Pest Control Since 1972

Pest Control | Termites | Moles | Mosquitoes | Bed Bugs


Residential and Commercial Pest Control Services
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Blairwood
Bourbon Barrel Foods
GoGo Squeez
Rodeo Drive
Ruoff

You might also like